Mozambican ambassador Osvalda Joana has considered Angola’s experience in mediation and resolution to the conflict crucial for the country’s presidency in SADC.
The diplomat made the statement to Television Girassol, ahead of the 43rd Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the Community for the Development of Southern Africa (SADC).
The Summit will take place on August 7-17 in Luanda, during which, Angola will take over a one-year term at the top job of the organisation.
“We all know that President João Lourenço was elected champion of peace, precisely because of the action he has taken in search of peace in the region”, said the ambassador.
She added that the Angolan presidency will have, among others, the challenge of peace which, in the view of the Mozambican ambassador, will be successful.
The diplomat’s statement comes in the wake of the engagement of the Angolan President in the peace and development of his country and the region.
One of SADC’s major goals is to make the region industrialised by 2063, according to the organisation’s Strategy and Roadmap, approved by the Heads of State and Government, in April 2015, for the period 2015-2063.
The objective of the strategy is to promote sustainable economic growth and development, which ultimately contribute to the alleviation and eradication of poverty and the creation of better living conditions for the region’s citizens.
SADC expects to raise the region’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate from 4 percent per year to a minimum of 7 percent, double the percentage of value added by manufacturing industry, including the share of industry-related services in GDP to 30 percent by 2030 and raise it to 40 percent by 2050.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organisation created in 1992 and dedicated to socio-economic cooperation and integration, as well as cooperation in political and security matters.
The organisation includes Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)